oiko crafting

Sunday, April 27, 2014

I hope that someone will still come to my blog after such a long time of no post... Times and times I think to post my baking results, but it so much more easy to post just a photo to the Facebook page or on Twitter. I know, not good.

I have some news... usually, when someone starts a new post with those words, you expect them to announce a pregnancy, a move to another city, state or continent, new fanstastic job opportunity or winnig a lotto (maybe?)...No, no, no... my news are much simplier. Few weeks (maybe 3 months ago) I was feeling too full(?), full of eating the same stuff, full of not fitting into some dresses I wanted to wear, feelling tired, hungry all the time and generally not feelling to do everyday things - waking up, working, cleaning, cooking... nothing at all...

So I decided to give a try a ketogennic diet. Yes, low carb, gluten free and sugar free eating.I will not write the same stuff as everyone, I just wanted to share my feelings with you.

After just 3 months I feel great! I lost some weight (some of my friends say a lot... like 10 kilos?) I do not really know, I don't care about numbers, they are just numbers. I fit into the dresses I never have worn (because I could not zipp them up). I am not feeling tired, I have much more energy thought sleeping less hours, I even smile more. I have the feeling that I eat much more - though I eat creme fraiche, heavy creem, eggs, butter, coconut oil and some more "fatty stuff", but I eat much more protein and vegetable than before.

I feel great, and my husband sees it. He even started this diet too cause he was diagnosed with high cholesterol and they wanted to put him on statins. He denieded it and tries to help himself exercising daily (just a swift 1 hour walk), eating low carb, gluten and sugar free and hoping in October to check again with his doctor to seat some results. I read a lot about cholesterol, and we decided, that going sugar and gluten free should have the result to lower the general cholesterol (fatty liver without sugar and gluten in our meal should clear sometime and produce just the necessary cholesterol for our cells, body and energy).

As a result of this diet - (you could say I have a sweet tooth) - I was not keen on to eat any sugar-y stuff, just the fatty stuff. But I made lately 2 fantastic cakes - based on my mothers Sunday sponge cake I grewn on.

for the caramel sause adapted fromMaria Emmerich1/2 cup butter 1 cup erythritol1/2 cup heavy cream (not whipped)Mix well together egg yolks, stevia, erythritol, peanut butter, olive oil and almond milk.Add slowly the mixture of the almond meal, coconut flour with 1 baking powder and cacao powder.Inbetween beat the 5 egg whites with the pinch of salt to stiff peaks and fold slowly and tenderly into the first mixture.Pour into the baking form ( I use silicone, so I do not have to butter spray the form first - a bit lazy I know) and bake for 35-40 minutes at 170 C.Make your caramel sauce:brown the butter (melting and mixing it till it starts turning brown), immediately - while stirring well - add the ertythritol and heavy cream. Mix well, turn of the heat - it will start thickening while cooling.Pour over the baked cake. Let cool and serve.---The some important things to care while on low carb, gluten and sugar free diet:peanut butter - I make my own, just blendin the peanuts till they turn to smooth peanut butter - I do NOT add any further oils or butteralmond milk - just buy raw almonds (blanched or not - I do not mind)... add 1 cup of almonds to your blender and 3-4 cups of wather, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and if you want - 1 tbspn erythritol (or stevia, or what ever your prefer) and blend well - about 1 minute - and you will get your home made almond milk. pour into glass bottle and store in refridgerator for up to 4 days.almond meal - I don't buy the pricey stuff in food stores - I just buy blanched almonds and blend them for about 3-4 minutes (not longer, as they will start to turn into almond butter), I store them in airtight glass container for as long as I need - it is a flour guyserythritol - I did not find clear stevia on the market here - but I foudn Deligios Stevia with erythritol - perfect for baking as it is sold as powder and 1:1 serving for sugar (no maltodextrose, no fructose and glucose or any other sugary stuff)...olive oil - always use the best of best - extra virgin olive oilI am NOT an expert, I am just sharing with you my 3-months experience of low carbing - which really is changing my life right now.So I hope you will try those cakes to bake and hope you enjoy them!soon I will be posting some pictures of my Easter SUGAR cookies- which I did for my boy to school and my office clients.Hope to hear from you!Jana

Friday, December 20, 2013

I know - I have not posted for ages... I was really thinking from time to time to post at least a hello to everybody ... but always went the opposite way - avoiding blogging.

But I am still here, living in Greece on the sunny island of Rhodes (with over 256 sunny days a year). I am sure many of you know / read / heard about Greece in economic crisis. And though the island was full of tourists and we had quite a lot of work during the summer season - I cannot say I fell happy or satisfied or fulfilled.

I feel that I am working for nothing - meaning in the business, just waking up, working through the day and taking care of my family.And though I know that the most important is that our family stays connected and supporting each other and thinking of each other (and most important - HEALTHY) - I still feel that I do not do enough.But I am positive, I truly believe that tomorrow will be a better day - not just for my kid - but for everybody. Because every living human deserves to live a proper and let me say - protected and safe - life with equal opportunities for all of us.

So far my thoughts.

I did bake during the summer, but I did not sew or crochet. Shame on me!

But here is my latest batch of decorated cookies with the best wishes to everyone for Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Few days ago a very good friend of mine had a birthday....Wait. A very good friend... I talk to her, almost every day, I e-mail her etc. but - the extraordinaire is - I have not met her in person yet - I have not seen a picture of her yet!

But I feel like I knew her since ever.

She is funny, friendly, always with a smile and sweet, she never gives you a feeling not to want to help or listen or do something.I truly am happy I have met her few years ago (via my work - meet - I mean via email and phone .... I undersign - I have not met her yet in person).

So as I knew she has a birthday the same day as my niece - it is easy to remember - I decided that I needed to send her a gift.

I made a crochet bag in happy colors for her and a necklace to go with.

Monday, February 25, 2013

Once a year ... it is time to remember the special one Once a year ... it is time to celebrateOnce a year ... it is time to make his favorite Vanilla cupcakes with Peanutbutter frosting (the fluffy one, please)Once a year ... it is time that the family gets together to celebrate HIS birthday.

I am talking about our son... the one and only.this year it is his 11th...I like the number, I like to make cupcakes and cakes.

so here is his story in pictures:

his b-day cake : Strawberry Vanilla mousse cake... actually just mousse...more or less, the cake became very very tall!